Gender Gap Politics: If Women Were the Sole Voters, President Obama Would Easily Snag Election 2012. Is THIS the Reason Why?

Here we are, just 15 short days away from the Election 2012. We have two presidential debates and one VP debate under our belts (with one presidential debate on foreign policy left to go tonight--and of course you'll be coming back to Glamour.com to review it with us, right?). Although national polls show the candidates neck and neck--though their margins vary depending on the sources you seek out--the same doesn't hold true if you break it down among men and women. That's not news; the gender gap is no stranger to the Election 2012 narrative. But according to Nate Silver, the statistics mastermind behind the New York Times political blog FiveThirtyEight, it's even wider than ever.

Silver reported yesterday evening that women were the sole voters in Election 2012, President Obama would be re-elected in a landslide victory. Silver averaged a group of recent polls from news sources with various margins, including Gallup, Pew, and more, and Obama leads by nine points among women. However, among men, Mitt Romney leads by nine points.

What's the reason for this 18-point difference? Data chronicling the gender gap since the 1972 election indicates that the divide is, historically, a result of social issues. Silver says:

"This suggests the gender gap instead has more to do with partisan ideology than with pocketbook voting; apart from their views on abortion, women also take more liberal stances than men on social issues ranging from > same-sex marriage to gun control."

Meredith and I grabbed a coffee this morning and disscused whether this sounds like what we've seen within our own lives and social circles. We weren't too surprised about the reasons for the gender gap as much as we were by the 18-point figure associated with it. We both grew up in the northeast, and in liberal-leaning populations. Among my own circle of friends, everyone I know is socially liberal—and the same is true among Meredith's friends. While some of my guy friends identify themselves as libertarians, Meredith's male friends are actually more fiscally liberal than her female friends. And, considering that women's issues and women's health care rights have been a point of discussion (and some friction) in both the congressional and federal elections, it's no shock to me that the gender gap is as wide as it is.

What are your thoughts on this report and the gender gap? Do you or women you know tend adopt more socially liberal political views? And do you think the gender gao really is as wide as ever from your experiences? Discuss!

P.S. You know we're covering the final debate tonight...so come on back! For now, all of your Election 2012 stuff is right here at our Election 2012 Central.